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Weak States And Political Constraints: Experiments With Truth In Liberia And Sierra Leone, Robert Collins Painter
Weak States And Political Constraints: Experiments With Truth In Liberia And Sierra Leone, Robert Collins Painter
Political Science Honors Projects
Focusing on truth and reconciliation commissions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, this thesis examines which political conditions typical of weak states had the greatest impact in deciding the different levels of success between the two cases. Two conditions played a central role in determining each commission’s success: the de-legitimization of the state and political fragmentation. Their presence in Sierra Leone derailed that truth commission’s efforts to carry out its mandate. Conversely, their absence in Liberia allowed its commission to operate relatively free of political impediments, leading to greater success.